I took a trip down memory lane today, visiting the Frank Frazetta Gallery in downtown Austin. Although not a direct influence in my personal work, I am deeply rooted in Frazetta’s realm of fantasy. It is a world of savagery and romance that is primordial, yet somehow timeless in essence, as it echoes a presumably suppressed primitive nature.

Nothing compares to seeing the originals, of course. So laying eyes on such beautifully preserved canvases was a real treat. I was always fascinated by Frazetta’s loose brush style, which truly accentuates movement in the images and is visceral in nature, but to see the nuances in color, which hardly translate in print, was breathtaking. In Frank’s world, a world where violence prevails… Darkness is the villain. And darkness is subdued, not only by the warrior subject (who embodies the human spirit), but also, by Frazetta’s color palette, which is organic, rich, and poetic.